132 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



has one specimen pure white, obtained at 

 Leeds, and also two young ones pure white, 

 taken from a nest in Nottinghamshire. 

 Another white specimen is in the Preston 

 Museum, and another in the same col- 

 lection is coloured similar to fig. 4. One 

 (fig. 4.), in a collection of birds at Hudders- 

 field, lately in the possession of Mr. Alfred 

 Beaumont, has the colours indicated about 

 the head by pale ashy brown, which 

 gradually become paler and fainter towards 

 the tail, which is nearly white. 



Note. — -The note is a kind of " che- 

 wick," uttered frequently^ both when the 

 bird is on the ground, and also when it is 

 on the wing ; it has also a very pretty song, 

 sometimes uttered on the ground, and some- 

 times when perched in a tree or on a wall. 



Flight — The flight is steady but un- 

 dulating, rising by moving its wings, and 

 falling by closing them, in graceful curves. 



Migration. — This species is partially 

 migratory. Early in September those in 

 the northern portion of the Island move 

 more south, congregating chiefly upon the 

 sea coast, a few only remaining in favour- 

 ably sheltered places inland. Some, at 

 least, of those which have bred in the 

 southern counties cross the channel for the 

 continent. They return to their breeding 

 haunts at the end of February or early in 

 March, and may generally be found in 

 some numbers, following the husbandman 

 as he ploughs the land intended for grain. 



Food. — Insects form a very large pro- 

 portion of the food of this species. These 

 are sought among pebbles and shingle by 

 the side of streams or ponds, upon newly 

 ploughed land, or sometimes upon the tops 

 of houses or out-buildings, or upon grass 

 lawns. It will also feed upon worms, small 

 molluscs, small crustaceans, and the fry of 

 freshwater fish. 



In Confinement one of these birds has 

 been observed catching minnows from a 



small tank, and no doubt they will do the 

 same in a state, of nature. This bird has 

 several times bred in the Fish House at the 

 Zoological Gardens. 



Habitat. — This species is common in 

 all parts of the British Isles, frequenting 

 such places as those indicated above. 



Abroad. — The range of the Pied Wagtail 

 seems somewhat limited. It is found in 

 JNorway, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, 

 France, Spain and Portugal, and has been 

 met with in North Africa. The white 

 Wagtail is the common bird upon the 

 continent. 



Nest. — The nest is placed in a hole in a 

 stone wall or rock, very often in the stone 

 work of a bridge ; sometimes on the top of 

 a pollard willow; among heaps of loose stones, 

 or other similar situations. Sometimes 

 very odd and peculiar situations are made 

 choice of. One is mentioned in the Zoologist 

 (p. 726) as having built its nest under a 

 switch on the Ayrshire railway, at the 

 Lochwinnock station, where trains passed 

 almost every hour, within a few inches of 

 the nest. It is rather a loose structure of 

 grass, fibrous roots or moss, lined with a 

 little wool or horse hair. The following 

 interesting note is given by Mr. E. H. Rodd 

 (Zool., Jan. 1878) :— " A pair of wagtails 

 did a thing this summer which I should 

 imagine to be unusual. They built in an 

 old rick of faggots which had not been 

 touched for two years, and reared a brood. 

 Before the brood had left the nest, the old 

 birds took possession of an old nest near by 

 in the same rick, laid their eggs and reared 

 a second brood, continuing to feed the first 

 brood during the second operation of 

 incubation. Before the second brood had 

 flown off, the first had quitted the nest, and 

 the old bird immediately returned to it, 

 and, without deserting the second brood, 

 proceeded to lay for a third time. There 

 was every prospect of a third hatching, but 



